Isabelle Tabitha Wasike’s childhood love for adventure, travelling to new places and meeting new people impelled her to pursue her dream course – Tourism. Isabelle, a fourth year student from the School of Tourism and Hospitality (STH) can comfortably say that she is in the right path of actualizing her vision.

Having a passion towards learning different languages is notably another interest that Isabelle has developed over the years. As she anticipates to be awarded with a 1st class honours in the 2017 upcoming graduation ceremony, Isabelle is undertaking her French classes, and intends to do Germany next.

What motivated the interest you have for Languages?

Being in the tourism sector, one tends to interact with a lot of people, to a large extent that influenced the interest I have towards languages. Plus, understanding and speaking a foreign language fluently is an added advantage in the modern day tourism industry. Reading is one of my hobbies and I am fully committed towards ensuring that I perfect in the two languages through my reading.

Why Strathmore University?

The decision to come to study at Strathmore University was informed by the fact that, Strathmore is not only a centre for academic excellence but also a place where one’s personal growth is enriched. Strathmore’s dress code culture is another factor that motivated me to join (strange considering how students dislike the dress code rules), but above all; Strathmore is widely known for its good reputation and quality of service.

Have you always been a top student?

Yes - I am a goal oriented individual, therefore, throughout my academic journey I have always had good grades and this has been entirely attributed to the fact that I set goals for myself in everything that I do. I always try as much as possible to be successful in anything and everything that I do.

Were you involved in any school activities?

Yes I was. Together with a group from my class, we delighted in visiting childrens homes, spend time with the kids and also donate. Putting smiles on the childrens faces was really a big moment for me.

I was also involved in the Hospitality and Tourism Students of Strathmore Club’s activities.

What was your 4th year research topic on?

‘The millennials, and their travel preferences: case of Strathmore University’ was my research topic, borrowing from the importance of researching on target market. The paper focused on Generation Y, a type of birth cohort which can be used as a form of market segmentation. The paper identified the needs and tastes of the millennials, their changing behaviour and expectations, and lastly their preferred tourism products and services.

What were your research findings and recommendations?

It was identified that the millennials needs and tastes, like Wi-Fi, affected the kind of tourism services demanded. The millennials behave differently from other generations, slowly reshaping the tourism industry with new expectations. Some of the tourism products and services that are preferred by this generation include adventure activities, cultural products and online travel purchases. Tourism organizations should ensure they are engaged in constant product development and modification so as to meet the needs and tastes of the millennials. The tourism websites should also include aspects of payment, booking, billing, order-taking, consultation and creation of an online account.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

I love spending time with my family and taking nature walks.

What plans do you have for your near future?

I plan to enter into a study work programme by doing my Master’s degree in Scotland or Switzerland in a few years’ time.